Pixel Casting Machine

Another great material experiment for today: The Pixel Casting Machine can be reconfigured by hand to create an infinite variety of pixelated ceramic vessels. The mold works like a regular slip-cast mold; the blocks are made of plaster to absorb water from the ceramic. After some time, the remaining liquid is poured out, leaving a hollow vessel.

The machine is by designer Julian Bond. This one is the 2nd version, where each pixel is secured by friction. In the first version, each one was screwed in place, which, according to the designer, was a painstaking, time-consuming process to reconfigure and adjust.

A few words from him on the project:

Slip casting molds are usually fixed. Each new design needs a new mold to be made. This project was about giving anyone the ability to engage with the slip casting technique and allowing them to create a one off design. The machine is designed to engage with the user allowing them to understand the form they are creating. This is a rapid manufacturing tool, not rapid prototyping, each piece that is made can be fired and glazed and used as a final product.

For more shots of the machine and the awesome results, click through the jump.

Lisa is dedicated to promoting the American contemporary design scene. She keeps herself busy as the co-founder of the Object Design League, an association of independent designers in Chicago, and design practice Smith&Linder, both co-founded with Caroline Linder. She also teaches foundation research studios at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.